Album Review
Story Of The Year
The Black Swan (2008)
Over the past thirteen years, Story Of The Year have gone from a lowly local band with only a handful of EPs and demos to having three full-length records and a world-wide fan base. Page Avenue was considered to show the band’s emo side, though many fans disagree. In The Wake Of Determination was heavier, but not as well received as the Page Avenue; however, The Black Swan brings a new dawn for the band. The album is just as heavy as Wake Of Determination, but is just as catchy as their first LP.
At first, I honestly wasn’t expecting much from The Black Swan, considering Wake Of Determination didn’t sit so well with the fans; nevertheless, I was proven wrong. The Black Swan tears SOTY’s second album to shreds. The band even tossed in some solos, as well as metalcore-esque riffs. (I was hoping for at least one breakdown, but didn’t get it.)
The track that stood out most was “Choose Your Fate”. Dan Marsala combines his clean vocals with his bone-chilling scream, which was seldom heard on Page Avenue. The track actually kicks the album off, which isn’t a bad way to go. The band’s instrumentation is heavier than ever, displaying a side of SOTY that many people may not recognize.
The interlude on the track, “Pale Blue Dot”, is a sick track, even though it is just over a minute long. The music behind it is somewhat industrial, with a man speaking over top. He talks about the current state of our planet and tells it as it is: the world is corrupt. The man essentially says that no matter what we do on our planet, it really doesn’t affect the universe at all. Definitely gets any listener thinking.
Again, in thirteen years SOTY has gone from absolutely nothing, to having a massive fan base that would follow them off a cliff. And with The Black Swan I can see exactly why. [ END ]
Track listing:
01. Choose Your Fate
02. Wake Up
03. The Antidote
04. Tell Me (P.A.C.)
05. Angel In The Swamp
06. The Black Swan
07. Message To The World
08. Apathy is a Deathwish
09. We’re Not Gonna Make It
10. Cannonball
11. Terrified
12. Pale Blue Dot (Interlude)
13. Welcome To Our New War
Run Time: 48:55
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